Rainfall
by Desino
Summary: a radical plan to make Gunsmoke fertile, an impostor Vash, and a very big garden. it's not what you think.


A musty wind blew across the face of the cliff, bringing a reminder on it that there was a desert outside the borders of this paradise. Sage kept climbing up her trail, intent on reaching the top of the mesa before the intruder left. There was a man on top of the cliff, a trespasser on private property, and if he stayed there for too long, he would eventually spot the heart of this oasis in the desert, and from there, it would only go downhill.  
  
Sage was nearing the top. Finally, she poked her head over the ridge, and looked around the mesa to see who the intruder was. He was still on the western edge, looking out over the desert, where she had spotted him from below. Sage hauled herself up over the ledge, took a step, and stopped short.  
  
The man had spiky blonde hair and was wearing a red trenchcoat. Sage could only see the back of him, but it was enough to make her hesitate. He looked almost exactly like him, the man in the picture, Vash the Stampede. However, the world was full of imposters, and there was only one way to know.  
  
"You there," she called. "You're trespassing. You have to leave, now, for your own safety." The man turned around slowly. His face looked exactly like the man in the picture, but Sage watched the eyes. The eyes always told the truth.  
  
The man's eyes were gray, and he stared at her motionlessly. Sage let out her breath. It wasn't him.  
  
"You have to leave, mister. This is private property. The way down is that way," she said, pointing.  
  
"You aren't afraid of me? You know who I am," he said, roughly. Sage met his gaze levelly, hoping she seemed like more than just a nineteen- year-old kid, fresh out of high school.  
  
"Yeah, I know who you are. Impostor. Get out." There was a harsh edge to her voice, sandpaper that hadn't always been there, but grated when she was angry. The impostor looked irritated, then relaxed. He walked silently past her and down the trail. Sage watched until he was gone, out of sight below the waterfall. She then walked across the top of the mesa and found her own trail down, a rocky route almost impossible to distinguish from the boulders.  
  
She crossed the river at the bottom where two boulders jutted out and almost met in the middle, forming a natural bridge. On the other side was a cool green meadow, protected by the surrounding cliffs and a natural overhang above. It was always nice here.  
  
However, when Sage reached her meadow, she immediately realized that something was wrong. Two grave-sized patches of grass had been freshly dug up, and at the head of them both were makeshift headstones. An abandoned shovel lay against the cliff wall.  
  
"What in heaven's name happened here?" she said to herself.  
"Dig me up and I'll tell you!" exclaimed a muffled voice from the grave nearest to her. Sage jumped about five feet in the air.  
  
"Talking corpses!" she exclaimed, and rushed to get the shovel. Muffled laughter came from the far grave.  
  
"Not quite corpses, but we will be, if you don't dig us out!" said the first voice. Sage grinned against her will and started digging. She didn't have far to go, these graves were shallow. Out of the first grave, she shoveled a very dirty young man, whom, to her surprise, she found that she knew. However, he hadn't recognized her yet, so she decided to wait and dig out the other man. She had a fairly good idea of who the other one was, too.  
  
The first corpse was tall and thin, rather gaunt and with long greasy black hair. He was dressed shabbily, and proceeded to shake the dirt out of his hair as soon as he was uncovered. The second man was a giant, a redhead with huge hands and muscles like kegs. The redhead recognized Sage instantly.  
  
"It's Rose," he said in a voice that made one think of very large rocks. The thin man started and looked at his rescuer closely.  
  
"So it is! It's little Sage Lilac Rose, from the grade below us. Still wearing the same goddamn hat, too." Sage tried to resist smiling, but failed. The same goddamn hat was a very shabby black newsboy hat, and she hadn't been seen in public without it since first grade.  
  
"The famous outlaw Brer Fox and his sidekick Brer Bear. The black sheep of the Allonois family, Jake, and his supposedly retarded flunky, Red Burns. I thought you two had gone off to become gunmen," she said, laughter sparkling in her eyes. Jake, the thin one, ignored this and kept talking about Sage.  
  
"Still wearing the same tan plaid skirt... er, kilt, too. Same black sneakers. Same haircut. Oh, I see you've changed your shirt since eleventh grade. That's a relief."  
  
Sage swallowed hard to keep from bursting out laughing. She did look mostly the same as she had a year and a half back, when Jake and Red had graduated from high school and left to make their fortunes. Sage still wore her nearly black hair in a cut that would have been recognized as early Beatlish, if anyone had known who the Beatles were. She hadn't grown an inch since her sophomore year. Her eyes hadn't changed either, they were still a dark green like a deep forest, a color that you'd think to see more often but you don't. They were her mother's eyes.  
  
"So. Enough, Jake. I have done my laundry since you left, thankyouverymuch. Speaking of which, do you mind telling me what you were doing buried alive on my property?" Jake tapped his chin, as if he was thinking. Red picked up a pair of guns and started to clean them out.  
  
"Well. We were just hiking up here, minding our own business- "  
  
"Hiking where you know very well is extremely private property?"  
  
"Ah yes, that. Well, we were actually hoping..." he trailed off, sheepishly drawing in the dirt with his toe. Sage raised her eyebrows, waiting.  
  
"Wewerehopingtogetsomemorestrawberries," said Jake in a rush. Sage laughed.  
"Got a craving for them after finishing the last batch I gave you? Or perhaps a secret fetish," she mused. Jake continued his story.  
  
"Well, as I was saying, we were minding our own business, when this fruitcake in a red coat jumps down on us out of nowhere and starts shooting. The guy says he's Vash the Stampede and I believe him, he's that good a marksman. We try to fight him, I realize we're outclassed, and give Red the signal. We pull the blood packets and pretend to get shot dead, you remember our trick, right?" Sage nodded and Jake continued. "He stops shooting soon as we go down. Then the moron has to actually friggin' bury us! I stuck my nose in my collar and breathed like that when I was under. It was a near thing, then you showed up and dug us out. It wasn't that long ago. Vash should be around, so keep a lookout, ya follow?"  
  
"Yes, I follow, and your grammar is atrocious. The Vash was around when I got here. He wasn't the real thing, though. I sent him packing for trespassing." Jake's eyebrows tried to jump off his face.  
  
"You sent him packing? Oh well, I might have known. That's the Sage I know, Man-Eater Rose," said Jake, shaking his head, feigning despair.  
  
"Are we going to get the strawberries?" asked Red. He had finished cleaning out the guns, and tossed the smaller one to Jake. Jake turned to Sage.  
  
"I donno, are we? I figure she still owes us," he said, looking like his nickname, Brer Fox. Sage turned to lead the way up a tricky trail through the boulders.  
  
"Yeah, I'm still indebted for all the times you drove me to and from school after my mother died. Watch your step. One wrong move and you could die a sudden and horrible death by booby trap," sighed Sage. Jake followed her, grinning lecherously.  
"I'm right behind you and up your skirt, oh Sagely mistress. You do keep your oasis well protected, don't you."  
  
Sage did keep the oasis well protected. The oasis was one of the few true oases on the planet of Gunsmoke. There were several natural springs, surrounded by steep cliffs and only accessible by dangerous trails. The springs produced water faster than it evaporated, and the cliffs protected it from the wind. The valley surrounding the springs was a virtual Eden, partially cultivated to grow all varieties of fruits and vegetables as well as decorative plants. The valley had been discovered by Sage's mother when she bought the land, and she had made it blossom twice as much as it had before.  
  
There was even an overflow to the springs, and because the valley was elevated, it created a river and a waterfall on the southwestern side. The water cascaded down the cliffs and pooled at the bottom, creating a large lake. The aptly named Laketown had grown up around this natural anomaly, and it was the pride of the city that every child there knew how to swim. Along with the lake, the city had several wells, so water had almost become superfluous in Laketown.  
  
Sage and her mother had been the only people in the world who knew how to get to and from the valley without being crushed, maimed, killed, decapitated, incapacitated, or otherwise suffering unpleasantness. Now that Sage's mother was dead, Sage was the only person who could reach the springs. She allowed few people into her Eden, only those she could trust. Sage trusted Jake and Red with her life.  
  
As they entered the oasis valley, the unmistakable sounds of complete awe came from Jake and his comrade. The valley was very awe-inspiring. To find such beauty in the midst of so barren and rough a planet was enough to take one's breath away. Sage grinned and breathed in deeply the scent of the flowers and trees and greenness around her.  
  
The strawberries were in full fruit at this time of the year, but Sage hadn't gotten around to picking any of them yet, so they were still all on the plants.  
"Pick all you want," she told Red as Jake wandered around in her orchard, picking the occasional apple or peach. "I'll get you a basket."  
  
Sage took a small path out of the berry bushes and entered into a small clearing where one of the five springs bubbled up. Next to the spring was a very small, friendly cottage, in need of a paint job. Sage unlocked the door and went in. Gardening tools took up most of the space, but there was a bed in one corner, a decrepit couch and television, and a kitchenette that made it recognizable as more than a gardener's shed. Sage waded through the mess on the floor, picked up a large basket, and blew the dust off it. She found a large checked napkin that looked like it had been washed within the last ten years at least and used it to line the basket. Locking the house again, she walked back to where Red and now Jake were busily picking strawberries.  
  
"Mmshtrawb'rees 'r' 'ood!" said Jake through a mouthful of red berries.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full," said Sage. Jake swallowed.  
  
"Yes, mother," he mocked. Sage kicked him lightly and set down the basket.  
  
"You know, I was wondering something," said Sage. Jake indicated that she had his attention even as he re-stuffed his mouth with strawberries. "Well," continued Sage, "I have a job for you two. Oh, don't worry, it's nothing big and I'll pay you. I just need an escort while I do a little traveling. I don't know how long I'll be on the road, or even exactly where I'll be going. Still, I'd like to have someone big and strong to protect me if we run across some unpleasantness. And I'd prefer to have someone along that I trust not to rob me blind, either."  
  
Jake seemed to consider, but before he could say anything, Red spoke up.  
  
"We'll do it."  
  
"WHAT? Just like that? Red, are you crazy?" hollered Jake in his ear. Red only shook his head slightly, as if to dislodge a fly. Sage smiled hugely.  
  
"Thank you Red, you can't realize how much this means to me!"  
  
********************************  
  
All the strawberries had been either picked or eaten, and the suns were starting to set. It was clearly time to go home.  
  
"So. How exactly do we get down this mountain?" asked Jake, handing Red the second basket of strawberries. Sage walked down towards the center of the valley, the two boys following her closely. In the center of the valley, all the springs met and created a river. The river started out slowly, but picked up speed as it approached the falls. Sage pushed a small boat out of a bush near the river. Jake groaned.  
  
"Is that the way we get down? Look, Sage, I'm sure you've thought this through, but isn't there the slight problem of that, you know, waterfall?"  
  
"Hmm. Yeah. No, actually, no. No problem. Get in the back and push off. I'll steer," said Sage distractedly. Jake made a noise that made one think of sick cats. Sage was already in the bow of the small boat, lying flat with her hands through a pair of handles. She jerked her head, indicating that they should get on. Jake reluctantly sat in the middle.  
  
"Red. Push off!" shouted Sage over the noise of the river. Red shoved the boat and clambered in the back. That was all they needed. The river pulled them along swiftly, and Sage steered by shifting her weight to the right or the left. It got faster and faster as they approached the waterfall. Jake tapped Sage on the shoulder.  
  
"Uh, are we supposed to be heading straight over the falls?" he asked. Sage nodded absently, and they shot out over the cliff. The boat was made for just such a purpose, and although Jake screamed like it was the end of the world, they made it to the water below safely. The speed of the waterfall shot them out across the lake, and they semi-crash-landed on the shore. Picking himself out of the mess of the boat and his companions, Jake searched for an appropriate adjective with which to describe Sage. Nothing he tried seemed strong enough.  
  
Sage just smiled, tied up the boat, and walked into town with Red, to purchase sandsteamer tickets for the next day.  
  
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Well. That was my first shot at Trigun fanfiction. ohyeah. don't own Trigun. do own Sage, Jake, Red, and the impostor. don't worry, you'll see Vash and all the other characters you know and love soon. And. well, I pretty much intend to turn Trigun upside down without screwing with the universe rules too much.  
  
um. well, chiz, then. 


End file.
